Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have conducted a groundbreaking study exploring the significant link between aging and cancer risk.

While cancer risk dramatically increases after the age of 60, the mechanisms connecting aging to cancer have been largely under-researched.

Published in Science on September 5, the study reveals that an aging immune system fosters tumor growth through harmful inflammation.

Dr. Miriam Merad, a senior author of the study, emphasized that chronic inflammation from an aging immune system significantly contributes to cancer risk, regardless of the age of the cancer cells.

Lead author Matthew D. Park noted that aged immune systems create inflammation that promotes pro-tumor macrophages, thereby diminishing the body's ability to fight cancer.

The study utilized mouse models, discovering that lung, pancreatic, and colonic cancers grew faster in older mice, with aging immune systems accelerating cancer growth even in younger mice.

Interestingly, rejuvenating the immune system was shown to significantly reduce cancer growth in older mice.

Dr. Merad pointed out that blocking inflammatory pathways, particularly those involving IL-1α and IL-1β, could reverse cancer promotion in mice.

The researchers identified immune-related factors that expedite cancer growth in the elderly and successfully inhibited these factors in aged mice.

Co-senior author Thomas Marron expressed interest in repurposing existing medications like anakinra for cancer prevention based on the study's findings.

Anakinra, a drug typically used for rheumatoid arthritis, was found to block damaging signals between lung cancer lesions and bone marrow in preclinical models.

Ongoing clinical trials are set to determine if targeting the immune system can prevent cancer progression in high-risk patients, while further therapeutic targets are being explored.